PalmSource has licensed Extended Systems
XTNDAccess Blue SDK version 2.0, which brings the Bluetooth 1.2 protocol to the
Palm operating system. Bluetooth is an increasingly common short-range radio
technology aimed at simplifying communications between devices, especially
mobile devices, such as handhelds, and peripherals.

This protocol is the sequel to the current Bluetooth specification, version
1.1, which is found in most Palm handhelds that feature Bluetooth personal area
networking, such as the Zire 72, Tungsten T3 and Sony CLIE PEG-TH55.

The new specification will bring better Bluetooth performance to future Palm
PDAs and smartphones, including the improved coexistence of Bluetooth
communications alongside 802.11b and 802.11g Wi-Fi, which, along with microwaves
and cordless phones, run at 2.4 GHz. In other words, it reduces the amount of
interference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing each wireless networking
technology work at its maximum capacity.

The new protocal does this by using Adaptive Frequency Hopping to alter
Bluetooth to the environment it is running within so as not to interfere with
the frequencies other electronic devices are using. This is an important
development, as more and more handhelds are combining Bluetooth networking with
Wi-Fi. While some devices that are coming out later this year will also be
adding in GSM or CDMA cellular technology with the other two.

Since the new protocol is backwards compatible, future handhelds that
integrate it will be able to work with printers, headsets and other peripherals
that support the earlier Bluetooth specification.